The first weekend of autumn left Utah drenched, and experts are predicting freezing overnight temperatures and snow in some areas over the next few days.
The rain and cold are in stark contrast to the dry heat of this summer, which saw the highest-ever average temperature on record.
Saturday, parts of Utah had more than an inch of rain as a Pacific storm system blew into the state. The southern Utah mountains were hardest hit, with rain totals of 1.87 inches.
Saturday night saw temperatures as low as 37 degrees in the Alta area.
Sunday, a hazardous weather advisory was issued for all of Utah by the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City. The Blanding area had 1.36 inches of rain and led the state as the wettest area for the day, while Wendover reported no rain and Milford, in Sevier County, had only .03 of an inch.
No serious flooding was reported in any of Utah's counties, dispatchers said.
In coming days, Cache Valley is expected to see lows around 30 degrees, along with Huntsville in Weber County, the Wasatch Mountains, Bryce Canyon and the Cedar City area. Sanpete County temperatures are forecast to dip into the 20s tonight.
The Salt Lake Valley will likely avoid the fall's first frost despite the cooling weather.
For Sunday night, National Weather Service officials forecast the season's first overnight snow in the mountains surrounding Salt Lake City and east of Delta and Milford, lead forecaster Alex Tardy said.
Elevations higher than 8,000 feet were expected to get two to four inches, and snowflakes were expected to fall on elevations as low as 6,000 feet.
The snow was coming with a cold storm system blowing in from Canada, Tardy said. The system will cause temperatures to dip statewide.
However, the air is expected to get warmer by the end of the week, Tardy said. It's normal to have at least one strong storm during the month of September, he added.
Zion National Park set a record low high temperature Saturday, reaching just 71 degrees. The previous record was set at 74 degrees in 1986.
For more information about Utah weather, visit www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/.
E-mail: rpalmer@desnews.com